Five arrested in Clinton motel drug bust

Five people were arrested in Clinton on Friday, four of them on felony drug charges, following an investigation at a motel not far from the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office.

On Friday, deputies with the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Division conducted an investigation at the Budget Inn located at 507 Southeast Blvd., Clinton, after receiving tips that led them to the motel, which is less than half a mile away from the Sheriff’s Office on Fontana Street. During the investigation, deputies gained probable cause to secure search warrants for several rooms at the motel, and subsequently found a smorgasbord — cocaine, meth, prescription pills and some weed.

Sheriff’s Emergency Response Team members executed the search warrants. According to sheriff’s authorities, SERT members discovered approximately 61.4 grams of cocaine, 2.5 grams of methamphetamine, two oxycodone pills, and a misdemeanor amount of marijuana. Five people were arrested in connection with the seizure, sheriff’s officials said Saturday.

William Darrell Garner, 37, and Latesha Michelle Coxum, 29, were each charged with trafficking cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, possession with intent to sell and deliver methamphetamine and maintaining a dwelling for a controlled substance. Garner and Coxum were placed in the Sampson County Detention Center under $100,000 secured bonds apiece.

Brittany Jacobs and Tiesha Jacobs, 22, were each charged with possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine and simple possession of a Schedule II controlled substance. They were both given $50,000 secured bond.

Brittany Kenon, 25, was charged with simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, and was arrested on an outstanding warrant for unrelated charges. She was given $1,000 secured bond.

According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety, Garner has a lengthy criminal record that includes convictions of manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill in the mid-1990s, as well as numerous drug trafficking convictions among others. Kenon has previous convictions on assault, communicating threats and trespassing along with others.

No court records were immediately found on the other suspects, however Coxum was arrested last month on charges of possession of stolen goods and simple assault.

Reach Managing Editor Chris Berendt at 910-249-4616. Follow the paper on twitter @SampsonInd and like us on Facebook.